(a) Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a restraint system use on automobile seats for adapting the routing of existing seatbelts to accommodate and restrain a child in the seat of a vehicle in the event of an accident. More particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a flexible device that includes belts for restraining a child in a vehicle seat and for routing the existing seat belts found in the vehicle to accommodate for the size of the child""s body.
(b) Discussion of Known Art
Most of today""s vehicles include seat belts that have been designed, or sized, for adult passengers. This means that the seatbelts are anchored at locations on the vehicle that correctly position the belts over an average American adult wearer""s body, but result in a dangerous arrangement across the body of a smaller person, such as a child. Additionally, many vehicles are sold without seatbelts on certain seats. Examples of these vehicles are certain passenger vans, many school buses, and other vehicles that include bench or similar type seats.
Child car-seats have been widely accepted as a solution for use in vehicles with seatbelts that have been sized for adult passengers. These seats typically consist of a rigid or semirigid frame that includes belts that are anchored to the frame. The frame of these seats attaches to the seatbelts of the vehicle. The vehicle""s seatbelt hold the seat frame against the surface of the vehicle""s seats.
A significant problem associated with rigid-framed vehicle child restraint seats is that the rigidity of the frame does not accommodate the child""s growth. Thus, a new car seat must be purchased every time that the child outgrows the seat.
Therefore, a review of known devices reveals that there remains a need for a child restraint device that can accommodate a wide range of statures.
Still further, there remains a need for child restraint system that can be mounted over a variety of seat styles, including bench seats and high-back bucket seats.
There remains a need for a child restraint system that can be used to support several children at once. Additionally, there remains a need for a child restraint system that can accommodate several children at once over a bench seat, as found many school buses used throughout the United States. Thus, there remains a need for a system that can be used to modify bench seats, that include a flat seat portion and a flat back portion, as found in many American school buses manufactured by the Blue Bird Company of Fort Valley, Ga.
Still further, it will be understood that there remains a need for a child support seat that is flexible, and can be easily collapsed to allow stowage of the device when not in use.
There remains a need for a soft, flexible car seat that can accommodate a variety of child statures and a variety of seat geometries, including bench seats, bucket seats, and high-back bucket seats.
It has been discovered that the problems left unanswered by known art can be solved by providing a system that reroutes the seatbelts, where seatbelts exist, and cooperates with a lap-belt to restrain a person or child on the vehicle""s seat. An important example of the invention includes:
A flexible, generally rectangular sheet having an upper surface, a lower surface, the rectangular sheet further having an upper edge, a lower edge and a mid-section between the upper edge and the lower edge, the lower edge of the rectangular sheet being adapted for attachment to the upper edge of the rectangular sheet;
A set of shoulder-belts extending from the rectangular sheet at a location between the mid-section of the rectangular sheet and the upper edge of the rectangular sheet, the shoulder-belts are adapted for attaching to the lap-belt, so that they will extend from the rectangular sheet to the lap-belt, and so that the person is held against the rectangular sheet by the shoulder-belts and the lap-belt. The rectangular sheet is held against the seat-back by winding the rectangular section under the seat-back so that the lower edge connects with the section of the rectangular sheet between the mid-section of the rectangular sheet and the upper edge of the rectangular sheet.
In vehicles having lap-belts, it is contemplated that the lap belts will extend over the rectangular sheet and over the passenger""s waist or lap in a well known manner. The shoulder-belts will then attach to the lap-belts, so that the user is held or restrained by the lap-belts and the shoulder-belts of the disclosed invention.
In vehicles that do not have seat belts, it is contemplated that a lap-belt will be incorporated into the mid-section of the rectangular sheet. The shoulder-belts would then cooperate with this lap-belt as described above, to restrain the user in the seat.
Additionally, it is contemplated that crotch-belt or leg harness arrangement may also be incorporated into the system. The crotch-belt would be connected to the mid-section of the rectangular sheet and cooperate with the lap-belt to further restrain the person.
In another example of the invention, a set of belt adjustments are found between the mid-section and the upper edge of the rectangular sheet. The adjustments serving for varying the location from where the shoulder-belts extend from the rectangular sheet. In other words, these belt adjustments are used to vary the location on the upper surface of the rectangular sheet where the shoulder-belts interact with the rectangular sheet. In one example, these belt adjustments include loops that accept the shoulder-belts. The loops are placed at intervals along the rectangular sheet, so the free length of each of the shoulder-belts, between the location or end where the shoulder-belts connect with the lap-belt and the location where the belts are restrained by the adjustments, can be varied to accommodate different users. In other words, the point where the shoulder-belts are connected to the rectangular sheet is adjusted through the connection with these loops.
In applications where the vehicle is equipped with a seatbelt that includes a chest-strap, which extends diagonally across the wearer""s torso, and a lap-belt, it is contemplated that the loops will be used to engage the chest-strap and re-direct the chest-strap to position the chest-strap over the trapezeus area, that the chest-strap will extend across the wearer""s torso.
It should also be understood that while the above and other advantages and results of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, showing the contemplated novel construction, combinations and elements as herein described, and more particularly defined by the appended claims, it should be clearly understood that changes in the precise embodiments of the herein disclosed invention are meant to be included within the scope of the claims, except insofar as they may be precluded by the prior art.